Mumbai runs marathon for peace, in memory of victims

Thousands of runners, many with messages for peace scrawled on their T-shirts, participated in Mumbai's annual marathon, its first international sporting event and the biggest public gathering since the attacks in November.

Even before the first light of dawn lit up the CST train station, the starting point and one of the sites attacked by Islamist gunmen, runners posed for pictures against its imposing Gothic facade, their fingers parted in the victory sign.

With cries of "Jai Maharashtra" and "Bharat Mata ki jai", the runners, including many foreigners and out-of-towners, surged forward in an annual ritual that this year had a special poignancy.

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Documentary salutes squash hero who put Pakistan on world

Pakistan's rugged North West Frontier is notorious as one of the world's most ungovernable terrains - a hideout of elusive militants and ferocious tribal cheftains who brook no authority.

What is less well known about the mountainous Afghan border region is that it has also produced a man who has has spelled terror on squash courts the world over - the legendary Hashim Khan, who learned the game as a ball boy watching British officers, and then went on to win the British Open seven times.

Khan, a Pathan who spawned a dynasty of athletes who dominated the British and American incarnations of the game, is the subject of a documentary, "Keep Eye on Ball," his famous admonition to learners of the game.

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Air India introduces special offers to India at Republic Day celebrations

Air India celebrated the 59th anniversary of India's Republic Day on January 22 at Bombay Palace Restaurant in Manhattan.

Chitra Sarkar, Executive Director, Americas, Air India, told guests at the gathering, "Air India recognizes that these are difficult economic times. Our Economy Class promotional plan makes travel to India more affordable. We will provide significant savings and increase the baggage weight allowance."

The announcement said that the airline was offering an Economy Class stimulus plan with special sale fares to over 40 destinations in India. Fares start at $469 roundtrip from JFK (NY) and Newark International Airports (NJ) for Sunday

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ALLVOI launches new VOIP phone with 500 free minutes to India

ALLVOI, a World Discount Telecommunications company and provider of low cost, high-quality broadband telephone service, launched on December 31, 2008 a cheap VOIP phone service.

For $14.99 per month customers can get unlimited calling within the U.S. and Canada and in addition, 65 other international destinations including Europe, South America, Australia and Asia.

The service also offers 500 free minutes to India per month.

Called the ALL India 500 International Unlimited Plan, the service allows South Asians living and working in the U.S. to stay in touch with family and friends in India, around the globe and throughout the U.S.

Customers can sign up online at www.allvoi.com, and they will be sent a phone adapter that can change any traditional phone to a ALLVOI phone.

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Guha, whose poems touched a generation's heartstrings, at age 87

Why must most beautiful things be fleeting and evanescent as the powdered wing of a butterfly? The death of Naresh Guha, poet and professor of comparative literature at Jadvapur University, on January 4 at B.P. Poddar Hospital in Kolkata, reminds one that the boasts by poets about the immortality conferred on them by poetry is only figurative.

But as long as it lasted, modern Bengali literature attained a level of sophistication to match that of the poetry of Europe. The coming of Tagore changed all aspects of Bengali life -- from the design of their furniture to their style of writing in long-hand, from their fussing over tea to their manner of reciting poetry.

The modern poet did not declaim his poems; he read them almost in a whisper. Guha was even softer, more silken, in 'speaking' his poems than his predecessors -- say, Bishnu De, or Buddhadeva Bose.

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Australian opener Hayden announces retirement

Australia batsman Matthew Hayden announced his retirement from international cricket on January 13, drawing stumps on a dazzling career as one of the greatest opening batsmen of all time.

The 37-year-old had planned to retire after this year's Ashes tour of England but told a Brisbane news conference he knew his time to quit had come.

"Today I am announcing my retirement from representative cricket effective immediately," he said.

"This is a decision that I have not taken lightly and I am here after much thought, consideration and discussion with my family and close friends.

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155 people saved after a stricken jet makes extraordinery emergency landing By Geraldine Baum and Matea Gold

Two wings and a prayer 155 people saved after a stricken jet makes extraordinary emergency landing. After a stricken U.S. Airways jet made an extraordinary emergency landing in the Hudson River on January 15, a flotilla of commuter ferries, water taxis and other boats plucked all 155 passengers and crew -- many shivering as they stood on the plane's wings -to safety in as little as five minutes.

It was the charmed culmination to what could have been a tragic flight after the Airbus A320 lost power over New York City and glided into the icy river.

"I believe we've had a miracle on the Hudson," New York Gov. David Patterson said of the landing, executed by a veteran pilot who runs a safety consulting business on the side.

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A slice of Bollywood life where kismet or luck plays a huge role

Directed by debutante Zoya Akhtar, 'Luck By Chance' is about a slice of Bollywood life where kismet or luck plays a huge role. It is slated for a worldwide release on January 30.

The film is about the journey of an actor named Vikram Jaisingh, played by Farhan Akhtar, who arrives in Mumbai to make it big as a film star with the help of Abhimanyu, played by Arjun Mathur, a television star friend, who puts him up during the initial struggle.

Sona, played by Konkona Sen Sharma, arrives in Mumbai with her dreams of becoming a film star. Wide-eyed but ambitious, she does whatever it takes, to make it.

She lives on her own in a rented apartment - a luxury for most in this bustling city and spends her time with a motley crew of loyal friends whose lives are also entwined with Bollywood, each one in search of a bigger dream.

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Economic slump crashes the scale of big weddings

For couples about to be married here, the global economic crisis has forced the big fat Indian wedding onto a crash diet.

Gone are the so-called helicopter grooms of last year's wedding season - the most opulent on record - where in a still-booming economy some husbands-to-be abandoned the traditional white horse procession and arrived at their nuptials on landing pads, amid a whirl of wind.

Now, couples pick and choose from a menu of possible cuts, including trimmed guest lists, slightly less sumptuous matching sari and jewelry sets - think pearl- and ruby-encrusted beadwork with only a smattering of diamonds and emeralds - and floral canopies looped with marigolds instead of orchids and lilies, according to wedding planners, florists and turban tailors, all of whom reported slumps in business.

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Golden Globe icing on A.R. Rahman's career

A.R. Rahman, who won a Golden Globe award on January 11 for best musical score with 'Slumdog Millionaire', is one of India's most famous Bollywood composers and has sold nearly as many albums as Madonna.

His scores for a host of Indian language movies have fused global influences from hiphop and rap to Broadway musicals and Indian folk music in a way that critics believe could help Bollywood music become more global.

Rahman, 43, wrote the music for the ragsto-riches romance of a Mumbai slum boy.

It is the first time an Indian has won a Golden Globe for composing in a country whose rich classical traditions have inspired oeuvres of global music.

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'Slumdog Millionaire' sweeps to Golden Globe victory

In a ceremony alternatively as solemn and celebratory as the film that won a leading four prizes -- the rags-to-riches drama 'Slumdog Millionaire' -- January 11 night's Golden Globe awards helped focus the Oscar race as it honored the late Heath Ledger for his performance in 'The Dark Knight.'

By winning trophies for best dramatic picture, director, screenplay and score, 'Slumdog Millionaire' cemented its place as the awards season's most beloved underdog.

After losing its American distributor soon after it completed filming early last year, the modestly budgeted story of an unlikely Indian game show contestant now has become not only a powerful Academy Award contender but also a minor box office hit.

"We really weren't expecting to be here in America at all at one time so it's just amazing to be standing here," 'Slumdog Millionaire' screenwriter Simon Beaufoy said in accepting his honor from the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.

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Special election: Council Members for districts 21, 32, 49

Rajiv Gowda, an engineer by profession, is running for the New York City Council seat from the 49th District, Staten Island. Gowda first held public office when he was elected in 2004, from District 31, to the New York City Community Education Council under Mayor Michael Bloomberg's school reform initiative.

On January 3, Mayor Bloomberg announced that a special election for Council Member for the twenty-first, thirty-second and forty-ninth Council districts will be held on Tuesday, February 24.

The special election will fill vacancies that were created at midnight on December 31st, 2008 by the resignation of Hiram Monserrate in the twenty-first Council district and Joseph P. Addabbo in the thirty-second Council district, both in Queens; as well as a vacancy created at midnight on January 2nd, 2009 by the resignation of Michael E.McMahon in the forty-ninth Council district where Gowda has staked a claim.

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Joint Chitra Ganesh exhibition by New York City and Mumbai galleries

In a collaborative venture, Manhattan's Thomas Erben Gallery is holding 'The Ocean Beneath,' an exhibition of recent works by Chitra Ganesh at Chatterjee & Lall, Arthur Bunder Road, Mumbai, Jan. 929.

As much a confirmation of the vitality of Mumbai irrespective of terrorism, as in recognition of India's growing importance as a market for Contemporary Art, Thomas Erben Gallery is mounting a show of Ganesh, born in New York, the daughter of Indian immigrant parents.

She works in various media including drawing and installation, inspired by topics including South Asian history, myth and legend, poetry, imperialism and queer politics. She has also contributed to publications such as the anthology Juicy Mother 2, a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards, edited by Jennifer Camper.

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Woodbridge mayor meets Indian Americans over spate of robberies

Police have arrested three people in four predawn jewelry store robberies in the Oak Tree Road shopping district in Iselin and similar robberies in other New Jersey towns, authorities told Desi Talk.

"It's an ongoing investigation and some arrests have been made in Fairfield," Woodbridge Police Lieutenant Tom Gennarelli said. "Our detectives are working on assigning complaints against those arrested for the burglaries in Iselin."

Gennarelli said that "a group of individuals were involved" and three of the suspects were arrested early on the morning of January 3 after a robbery there.

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New rules for sports eligibility draw criticism

A government rule to allow only its citizens to be chosen to national teams has drawn criticism from the national olympic body.

The sports ministry announced on December 26 that in future only Indian passport holders would receive government support for training to represent the country.

It added: "This will also be applicable in the consideration of proposals for the participation of national teams in international sports events."

The move would particularly affect the tennis teams as Davis Cupper Prakash Amritraj and women players Shikha Uberoi and Sunita Rao hold U.S. passports.

"It is rubbish," Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary Randhir Singh told Reuters. "If the world of sport allows them to play, why should we block them?

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Luxury brands a tough sell in wealthier India

On a recent evening at a luxury Mumbai hotel, shoppers tried on sequined sandals and handmade moccasins at Joy Shoes, an Indian family business that has sold out of its only shop for nearly 70 years.

Around the corner, a Moschino store with stylish displays of apparel and accessories off the Milan runways stood empty.

Starting at 3,500 rupees ($70) for a pair of men's shoes, Joy is not cheap. But the key to its enduring popularity, says Munna Javery, the third-generation owner, is knowing what customers want and maintaining relationships with them over the years.

These are just two of the already considerable challenges facing global luxury retailers in India.

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New York is the safest big city, says Bloomberg

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, announcing another year of decline in crimes said New York City was the safest big city in the country.

In his weekly radio address delivered December 29, Bloomberg said crime was down again seven years running, in public housing developments, in the transit system, and in schools in all five boroughs "Citywide, we've reduced crime by about four percent this year and nearly 30 percent over the past seven years," he said.

"This holiday season I hope that all New Yorkers will say a prayer of thanks for the men and women of the NYPD, who take such incredible risks on our behalf, and who have made New York the safest big city in the nation.

"And most impressively, they've done all that while also keeping our city safe from terror," the Mayor maintained.

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Dravid rescues his career with chanceless century

Indian veteran Rahul Dravid rescued his test career on December 20 with a chanceless 26th career century in the second test against England.

Dravid, 35, struck 136, his first test hundred after 20 innings.

He was dismissed for three and four in the first test which India won by six wickets and averaged only 17 from seven innings in the preceding 2-0 home series win over Australia.

His poor form sparked media speculation that the team's sheet anchor for a decade could be asked by the selectors to step aside.

"I'm relieved," Dravid told reporters "It is one of my significant hundreds, considering the time it has come."

"I'm happy, I'm a bit older and wiser now and will not jump around and get that excited."

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Mumbai crowds flow back to their beloved Bollywood

After a fortnight of playing to near empty cinemas, Bollywood is breathing a sigh of relief as a new Shah Rukh Khan film pulls in audiences in a city still recovering from November's deadly attacks.

Cinema audiences in movie-mad Mumbai fell to a trickle in the aftermath of last month's terror attacks in which 179 people were killed.

"People were so scared and the mood was so low that watching a movie at a theater was out of the question," said industry analyst Amod Mehra.

"In the last two weeks, theaters have been running empty, more so in Mumbai, but also in the rest of the country." But Khan, Bollywood's most bankable star, has worked his magic at the box-office.

In his new romantic comedy, he plays a boring introvert who gets a makeover, turning into a snazzy dancer to woo his wife.

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Pope Benedict XVI makes Christmas appeal for global peace

Pope Benedict said on December 25 he hoped Christmas would bring hope to those suffering from war, terrorism, injustice and poverty and appealed for peace in the Holy Land.

In his "Urbiet Orbi" (to the city and the world) Christmas Day message, the Pope also turned his thoughts to some of the world's wealthiest countries, which have been hard hit by the world financial crisis.

"In each of these places may the light of Christmas shine forth and encourage all people to do their part in a spirit of authentic solidarity," he said from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica to tens of thousands of people below.

"If people look only to their own interests, our world will certainly fall apart."

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